Many machines used in earthworking, construction, mining, agriculture and similar industries utilize machines having specialized implements. These implements can be used to perform a variety of different tasks. One issue with operation of such implements is that under certain circumstances it can cause the machine to pitch into an undesirable position. One application where this can be an issue is hard rock ripping. In earth ripping applications, the machine, such as a track-type tractor, is equipped with a ripper that is typically attached to the rear of the machine with the front of the machine being provided with another implement such as a blade or a bucket.
Hard rock ripping is traditionally a manual operation that can be quite difficult because the process necessarily involves unseen underground obstacles. For example, the ripper can get hung up on underground boulders or bedrock. Because the ripper tip cannot penetrate the rock, it can pitch the machine forward lifting the rear idler off the ground. When this happens, the entire weight of the machine is supported by a few grousers under the front idler. Moreover, the undercarriage bogies no longer provide suspension dampening and most of the vibration caused by operation of the ripper is transmitted to the chassis. This can accelerate wear of the chassis, track and ripper shank. It also leads to reduced productivity since the ripper is not penetrating the ground. Typically, when a machine operator realizes the ripper is beginning to lift the rear idler and is no longer penetrating the ground, he manually raises the ripper. However, a skilled operator can only correct pitching of the machine, to the extent they become aware of it. For a variety of reasons, including that the ripper is mounted to the rear of the machine, it can be difficult for an operator to quickly recognize that the machine is pitching, particularly when operating on uneven ground. As a result, the process can be quite time consuming and inefficient and still results in added wear to the machine components.